


Meet the Parents

by Incoherentbabblings



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Red Robin (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: Awkward Conversations, Bad Parent Arthur Brown, Bad Parent Jack Drake, Canon Compliant, Canonical Character Death, F/M, Light Angst, Meet the Family, Meeting the Parents, Mentioned Batfamily (DCU), Missing Scene, One Shot in Three Parts, Romance, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, Teen Romance, Tim Drake is Red Robin, Tim Drake is Robin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-19
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:29:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,781
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27630749
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Incoherentbabblings/pseuds/Incoherentbabblings
Summary: Meeting your partner's parents is hard. It's even harder when - as far as your parents know - you've only been dating for a couple of weeks and not the year it has been in reality. It's not that youenjoylying to your parents, of course not, it's just... Necessary for the job.Tim Drake, meet Crystal Brown. Stephanie Brown, meet Jack Drake. Oh, and Janet too. One goes much better than the others.
Relationships: Crystal Brown & Stephanie Brown, Jack Drake & Janet Drake & Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake
Comments: 9
Kudos: 80





	1. Crystal

**Author's Note:**

> Prompted by some conversations and asks on tumblr. I hope you enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tim meets Crystal. Not Robin, not Alvin. Just Tim.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time Frame: Set in the hazy time around Robin #100. Enjoy!

_I’ll see you later, Steph. At your house. At your front door._

* * *

It was still cold, snow lingered along the roads and sidewalks, and the path that led up to Steph’s front door was covered in salt to stop any ice forming. She had mentioned the other day that her father had been kicked out by Dinah, but Tim wondered if he had left the house in a state, or if Steph and her mom had been able to clear up once more inside. The front of the house looked well enough, though the grass did look a little dead.

Exhaling with a shiver, Tim kicked up his skateboard and stuffed it in his backpack, half of it poking out level with his head. Trying to be decisive, he knocked heavily. He hoped Steph was in.

Shy smile freezing on his face, it was Crystal, wearing a faded pink bathrobe, hair up in a bun, who answered the door instead. Her cheeks were looking fuller than the last time Tim saw her. Stephanie said she thought her mom had been clean for several months. It looked to Tim like Steph was right. 

“Yes?” Crystal asked, tone uncertain.

“I… is Steph home?” 

He scuffed his sneakers on the welcome mat, shuffling in place. Crystal’s gaze turned suspicious, and she inspected Tim head to toe. Keeping her eyes on him, she craned her neck, and called for her daughter.

“Stephanie? There’s a boy here to see you!” She paused for a moment, then muttered to herself, “yet another one.”

Distantly, Tim heard Stephanie’s cheery reply, and soon the sound of her bounding down the stairs made the discomfort of Crystal’s inspection fade away. 

Crystal looked like Stephanie, Tim could see it. Steph's hair was her father's, but the round cheeks and fey nose was utterly Crystal. Stephanie’s personality though, seemed entirely her own. 

When Stephanie caught Tim's eye from behind her mother, her face lit up into pure joy.

“Tim!”

Tim’s face grew warm despite him still standing in the cold. She was wearing a baggy white sweatshirt with ketchup stains, slightly too loose jeans, and she looked overjoyed to see him. Tim still wasn’t used to having someone being so openly happy to see him every time he entered a room. It felt good.

Bashful, he looked back to his feet. “Hi, Steph.”

“You came to see me?”

“I said I would, didn’t I?” Tim retorted, thinking of the goodbye he gave Steph in the cave before Bruce had (potentially) murdered someone. Before Bruce had locked Stephanie out of the cave. Before his dad had gone broke and forced Tim to leave Brentwood. 

Looking back to her, Tim saw the embarrassment in Stephanie’s features. They hadn’t really talked about it, what Bruce had done, and what Stephanie had done consequently. Tim partially just wanted to forget about it. He wanted to see Stephanie, and he wanted to see Spoiler. Now he had permission to, he was going to take advantage of Bruce’s fumble.

“Yeah but…” Stephanie looked to her mother, who was sucking on her tongue expectantly. Stephanie gathered herself together with a shake. “Mom, this is Tim Drake.”

“And he is…?”

“My… my boyfriend. I guess.”

Tim laughed at Stephanie’s uncertainty. Crystal just looked befuddled. 

“And this has been going on for…?” 

Sensing there would be no easy escape, Stephanie huffed, then looked to Tim. “Do you want to come in? We have coke and chips if you want to eat.”

“Uh, yeah. If that’s okay with you Mrs. Brown. I came to take you into town, Steph, if you wanted, but I’ve just sold my car. We’ll have to bus it.”

“Sold it?” Stephanie cooed, “But you loved that thing!”

“You won’t believe how much the guy bought it for.”

Fifty thousand _thank you_ Alfred.

Crystal seemed put at ease. Tim knew he wasn’t particularly threatening. A little short for his age – Stephanie still had an inch on him – and slim to boot, he must have looked so vanilla in comparison to Dean, or Arthur, or her brother, or Edward Nygma, or any other loser (like Alvin) who showed up on Crystal’s doorstep. Crystal stood aside, and said,

“Come in Tim. Shoes off please.”

“Sure, Mrs. Brown. Thank you.”

Tim did as he was told, and when Crystal had her back to the pair to go to the kitchen, Tim burned red from the peck Stephanie gave him on the lips as a greeting. She was bouncing on her toes, up and down, like she was unable to hold onto her happiness.

“You came,” she breathed, grabbing one hand. “I thought… I thought…you’d said you would, but maybe it would only be –”

Sneaking a look through to make sure Crystal wasn’t looking, Tim kissed her again. Her eyes shone brighter, and she tugged him through to sit with her on the little sofa. 

The house overall was a bit grim. Plaster and paint were still cracked, never repaired in the aftermath of the quake, and the carpet was stained with mysterious substances which Tim hoped was coffee or wine. The sofa’s cushions were sunken, in desperate need of restuffing, and yet, he felt quite safe and comfortable. Steph leaned against his shoulder, feet curled up under her legs, still smiling, and Tim wiggled, settling into the softness of it. 

“So, Tim…” Crystal’s voice drifted over. She was holding a bag of chips and two cans of soda. She slapped them down on the stained coffee table, and immediately Steph leaned over and ripped the bag open. She also opened Tim’s drink for him and encouraged him to help himself. “Do you go to school with Stephanie?”

 _Oh. Interrogation time_. Tim hadn’t prepared for such a thing; he’d thought Crystal would have been at work. Well, he supposed he should tell the truth as much as he could.

“No. Well sort of. No, I went to Brentwood until a couple of weeks ago. Before that it was Gotham Heights, yeah.”

Crystal paused in her descent down to her armchair at the mention of Tim’s former private school. “What happened?”

“I… Well Brentwood is Brentwood, right? But then, my dad recently lost a bit of money. We’ve had to move out from Bristol into our condo in the city. We couldn’t afford the fees for Brentwood anymore, but that’s okay. Wasn’t worth it to be honest.”

Crystal’s eyes widened, taking umbrage with one part of his reply. “You lived out in Bristol?”

Tim shrugged, trying hard to seem bashful and humble and not up himself. “We used to live next door to Bruce Wayne, if you can believe it.”

Quietly, Tim heard Stephanie whistle to herself. _Crud_ , Tim forgot, she didn’t know that either. Crystal’s mouth dropped open, and Tim took a sip of his drink, regretting saying anything.

“How did you meet Stephanie?” Crystal sounded like she was choking on air when she asked. “How long has this been a thing?”

“Uh…” 

Right, not like they ran in the same social circles. He looked to Steph for help, and she just shrugged, mouth full of salty chips.

“Not long,” she lied smoothly. In reality, it was coming up for fourteen months as Spoiler and Robin, but Crystal did not need to know that. “Eat Tim, you’re not eating. This is the first time Tim has been in this neighbourhood, right?”

Tim crushed a handful of chips to his mouth. The fried potato tasted good. What Stephanie had told her mother was yet another lie, albeit one Stephanie did not know she was telling. No need to mention how he’d followed her around the day after the ‘bricking’.

Stephanie laughed at his nervous chewing, and rested her chin on his shoulder, quite uncaring about her mother watching the pair on the sofa. If Tim wanted to remain seated upright and stiff, he was unable. Almost instinctively, he had shifted back, almost pressing against Stephanie until they were cuddling on the broken couch. 

Crystal owlishly blinked, seemingly much more torn. Tim knew he looked good on paper, and with any girl whose dad wasn’t a supervillain, none of what he said would have been an issue. If anything, it may have looked like Stephanie was on the receiving end of a giant boon. As it was, Tim must have looked too good to be true. Good, honest boys were rare commodities in this household. Crystal swallowed sorely, then decided to try and ask a difficult question.

“Does he… Steph. How serious is this? Does he…know…”

Stephanie put her mother out of her misery, “About the baby? Yes. He knows about dad too.”

“Oh.” Crystal looked back to Tim and narrowed her eyes once more. “Okay.”

He knew why Crystal was suspicious. Stephanie’s experiences with the men in her life were not good. Rich private school Bruce Wayne elbow rubbing boy taking an interest in her daughter? _Her_ vulnerable daughter. Oh yes, alarm bells would be ringing too.

Tim drank more coke. 

“Tim…” Stephanie drawled, leaning into him in an exaggerated cuddle. “Is the smartest guy I know. Straight A’s for sure.”

Tim nodded, chortling nervously, “Yeah… that’s true.”

“And he’s also an absolute sweetheart. Promise mom. No funny business with this one.”

Tim turned purple, and even Crystal seemed embarrassed.

“Alright Stephanie, no need to shame the boy to death.” Crystal hauled herself upright off her seat, making her way to the stairs, having had enough of the awkward conversation. “I’m going to get a nap in before my shift. Write me a note if you’re heading out.”

“Yes, mom.” Stephanie’s smile turned smug as she made her mother exit the conversation, saving Tim from having to defend his honour. 

Tim gulped, voice faintly calling after Stephanie’s mother, “Bye Mrs. Brown…Nice to meet you.”

Crystal paused, then turned to look at the couple on the sofa. Her shrewd look softened. 

“You can call me Crystal, Tim, if you like. It was nice to meet you too.”

Tim’s smile broadened, and Stephanie laughed, joy leaking out of her in bubbling chortles. When Crystal’s bedroom door shut, Stephanie turned back to Tim, and granted him another kiss.

“Well done for enduring that.”

“She’s right to be suspicious you know.”

Rolling her eyes, Stephanie chugged the rest of her coke, then went through to the kitchen. Tim followed her and watched as she dutifully wrote her mother a note.

“Give her a few more weeks. She’ll love you as much as I do. Well, maybe not that much.” She whirled around, explaining, “But she’ll see you’re the best catch I’ve ever had. And that it’s genuine, what you feel for me?”

“It’s genuine,” he confirmed, dispelling the flittering look of uncertainty that spasmed across her features. Tim didn’t know what he could do to banish it entirely. He had an idea, but maybe it was too soon…

No. They had been dating for a year, technically. This was probably overdue if anything.

Stephanie’s cautious smile on her lips froze, and panic replaced it when Tim verbalised his idea.

“Now you have to meet my dad and Dana.”

“What?”

Tim’s nerves returned, and he fumbled and fiddled with his fingers as he stumbled over himself to explain. “My…my dad? And my stepmom. Dana’s nice, she does a mean pasta bake. You should come for dinner one night.”

As Tim spoke, they migrated towards the front hall, the pair slipping their shoes and coats on. Tim took Stephanie’s hand once she got her backpack on, and the pair slipped out of the house, Stephanie locking the front door behind her. As Tim explained and as she mused it over, her shy smile returned, growing until it became a beaming grin.

“Yeah? That’s so official! I don’t know anything about your parents. Do you see your mom still?”

 _Double crud_.

“Oh. Oh.” He looked at his feet, mirth vanishing. “She died. A couple of years ago.”

Stephanie paused, then reached out to grab Tim’s arm. They had made it halfway down the path. Tim couldn’t put a name to the expression on her face. Guilty? Ashamed? Angry? Sad?

“How?” 

Whatever look Tim gave in response was enough to dissuade her. It wasn’t a car accident or cancer, no, somehow it was much worse. Stephanie’s breathing wobbled, empathetic as always, and she shook her head.

“I’m so sorry, Tim.”

“It’s okay,” he said weakly.

“No, it’s not.”

Tim sighed, then explained, “I mean – I can… It’s alright. Well. No. It was awful. I was stuck here in Gotham and we heard that they’d been kidnapped and held to ransom over near Haiti.” Tim watched as Stephanie’s face changed to distraught. “They were saved, but then they were poisoned. Some nerve agent in the water. Mom died pretty quick… as if that makes a difference… Dad was in a coma for a while. Dana was his physiotherapist and, yeah, she’s great, but… I miss mom. Still.”

Stephanie enveloped him in such a warm hug it punched the trapped air out of his lungs. He hugged her back. Out of the corner of Tim’s eye, he saw a pair of curtains flutter on the second floor of Stephanie’s house.

“I’m sorry,” Stephanie repeated, sniffing. “And thank you for telling me.”

Tim picked her up briefly, setting her down then taking her hand, encouraging her once more to walk with him. A moment’s silence passed, then Tim admitted,

“It’s kind of nice that I don’t have to lie anymore. It’s a big weight off my shoulders.”

Stephanie moved their intertwined hands around to the back of her waist, making Tim hold her.

“You and me both Tim,” Stephanie sighed, pressing her head to his shoulder. “Hey, can you tell me about her sometime? Your mom? And where are we heading anyway? You hungry?”

Tim was grateful in that moment for her irreverence. She never let him dwell on something. He peered over at her.

“You want a burger or something?”

“I could go for something fried.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Continued in parts two and three...


	2. Jack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie is the first girl Tim has brought home in a while. Naturally, Jack is suspicious. But not of Steph.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time Frame: Set in the hazy time around Robin #100. Enjoy!

Stephanie and her mom had gone shopping. It didn’t happen too often but was increasing in frequency in recent months. 

Tim had told her that the threat of company was enough to make Jack get out of bed. At least for one evening. Dana was apparently very excited to meet her. Tim had meant it all very encouragingly, that his parents were keen to meet this new girl he was dating. Not since Ari had he brought anyone home, so this must have been serious. Stephanie however, felt none of that levity. Instead, she felt so nervous she could lay an egg with the rolling ball of anxiety in her gut.

Her dad could throw her off a building and her only conscious thought would be _oop_ , Batman could frown and push for her and Tim's relationship to end and she would just scoff _as if_. Faced with the concept of Tim’s father, however, well suddenly the stakes were much higher. This guy actually mattered.

“What colour do you think mom? A dress though, yeah?”

Crystal pouted, looking through some clearance sale racks. “I think getting you a dress regardless is a good idea. Can’t hurt to have one on standby.” Pulling out a pink number, she waved the hanger at Stephanie. “Not too formal though. You’re just going over to his? Not out to a restaurant.”

“No,” said Stephanie, moving over to inspect it. It was nice. A halter neck dress that would probably go to her knees. Chewing her lip, Stephanie looked to her mom, noting her expectant expression.

“Mom, what if they hate me?”

Her mother seemed befuddled by the very concept, asking, “Why would anyone hate you Stephanie?”

“Because I…am below Tim. Socially.”

Crystal made a face that told Stephanie exactly where to stick that idea. Fingering the fabric of the dress, Stephanie whispered, “I really like this boy, mom. I don’t want to mess it up.”

“He does seem very sweet on you. And why would you mess it up? Honestly, Stephanie. You’re only sixteen. I know this seems like the biggest thing in the world right now, but all you have to do is smile when spoken to and eat the food they put in front of you.” Crystal handed Stephanie the dress. Almost reluctantly, she added, “Also…maybe don’t mention the baby. Or your father.”

The anxious lump in her gut turned into icy needles, and Stephanie gasped brokenly. Crystal realised maybe she had not been as tactful as she should have been. “Oh, sweetie, I don’t mean –”

Stephanie interrupted her, voice sharp as broken glass. “Whatever. It’s whatever. Does this shop have anything in green? I like green…”

She ended up buying the pink dress, thinking naively that a blonde pink girl would be looked upon more kindly. She brushed her hair until the frizz came out, then Crystal very carefully cut her bangs for her in the bathroom. It was weird, having her mother fawn over her like this, but Stephanie supposed it was as much a first for both of them. Meeting the parents. It was a big deal. 

She didn’t have any nice shoes, so her (dirty) white sneakers would have to do. Nervously picking at her nails, she inspected herself in the mirror. She patted the skirt, making sure it wasn’t too short in the back. Modest. But not matronly. Not teen mom material.

Crystal would drive Stephanie to Tim's on her way to her hospital shift. Tim had promised Dana would give Stephanie a lift back at the end of the night. Tim as Robin would probably drop by later, but it would mean he could kiss her goodbye at the door, and they could pretend they were normal just for a moment.

Crystal called for her, and Stephanie grabbed her jean jacket and keys.

Stephanie didn’t care what people thought of her. Even people like Tim’s dad.

Honestly, she didn’t.

She held onto that thought as she stood in the lift that would take her to Tim’s floor. There was a guy operating the elevator, an out of date concept that Stephanie had only ever heard of in movies. He was dressed all in black, sat on a stool and reading some book on poetry. Stephanie kept her eyes stubbornly forward, facing the door, but she could feel the guy leering at her, trying to peek up her skirt. With a definitive motion, she patted the back of her skirt against her legs, denying access to the creep. The elevator pinged, and Stephanie bustled out, wasting no time or pleasantries. 

She knocked at Tim’s apartment. There was music playing from the other side, and she heard a woman exclaim happily. Next thing she knew, the door was thrown open, and Tim had answered the door.

She wasn’t sure she would ever get used to seeing Tim looking handsome in a button-down shirt and jeans. She also wasn’t sure if she would ever get used to someone looking so happy to see her.

She should have said either of those things, as they would only have made Tim happier. As it was, she blurted out,

“Your elevator boy is a creep.”

Tim’s elated expression faltered, and he snorted, “Cole? Yeah, like someone kicked him in the balls in high school and he never recovered. Probably deserved it though.” Tim looked her up and down, then smiled once more. “You look really pretty.”

Stephanie bounced on the balls of her feet, thanking him for the compliment. 

“You wanna come in, Steph? Give you a tour.”

Tim took her hand, not waiting for an answer, and dragged her inside. It was very warm in the apartment, and genuinely nice. And not just in a middle class people kind of way. Tim took her jacket from her, acting very gentlemanly, and encouraged her to take off her shoes. Wood panelled hallways lead to large rooms with fancy ceilings and thick carpets. 

Tim blushed when he showed her his room, and to her a delight it was a pigsty. She laughed at the piles of shirts, all of them too big and for every popular or vintage band she had ever heard of. In the corner was his skateboard, and flung around everywhere where cassette tapes, CDs, comics, and dice. She chewed her index finger as she looked around, comforted by the normality of his room and its contents. 

“Oh. I have something to show you,” Tim exclaimed, remembering an earlier conversation. He wandered over to his too full bookcase. He fumbled, taking layers of disordered books off the shelves to get to a row of volumes at the back. “You asked about my mom last week. Dad doesn’t have any photos of her up, think he’s afraid to upset Dana, so I have an album…” 

Tim found a plain black book and tugged it out. Opening up the photo album, he flipped through a couple of pages until he found a photograph he was happy with. Tugging it out from its little slot, he passed it to Stephanie.

“Here we go. This is her.”

It was a faded photo of Janet and Tim at the botanical gardens. She was crouched behind him, arms wrapped around in a tight hug. She smiled like Tim, crookedly, like she wasn’t entirely sure how to smile. Like Tim, she also had long slim fingers and was better described as handsome instead of pretty. Tim looked to be about six or seven. He had a front tooth missing. 

“Oh, Tim…”

“She was really sharp,” Tim explained, eyes looking upwards recalling memories. “Think it’s fair to say she was the pragmatic one of my parents. The better business partner. She wasn’t around much. Neither of them were. But she used to carry me everywhere when she was.” Scratching the back of his neck, Tim shuffled his feet awkwardly. “I do miss her still. I’ll take you out to see her. Maybe. If that’s not weird.”

“That’s not weird Tim,” she quietly reassured him.

Stephanie admired the photo some more. Tim was just Tim, as she’d suspected. Robin wasn’t some untouchable icon with no past or future. She could be a part of this now. No longer locked out, they could spend the day in his room listening to terrible rock music and reading whatever he’d collected from the comic book shop that week, then head out in the evening to deal with any baddies on the streets of Gotham.

She suddenly felt like she was going to cry, but not from sadness. Shuddering, she turned to Tim and teased him instead, trying to avoid thinking about why she was feeling so overwhelmed. Tim’s red face was starting to turn puce, so he pinched the photo to put it back, pulled her out of his room and showed her his dad’s office. They deliberately walked past one threateningly closed door which she assumed was Dana and Jack’s bedroom.

Everything was clean, not covered in dust, and the bathroom didn’t even have that damp grotty corner that was always threatening mould.

Stephanie’s palms became sweaty. 

When they reached the kitchen, the pair were met by Dana, who was struggling with some steamed vegetables. She coughed, waving the pan lid to dispel the vapour. She seemed overjoyed to have the chance to play hostess and squealed at the sight of the couple.

“Hi you two!”

Tim breathed a very audible sigh of relief, then made a grand gesture between the two women, “Dana, this is Stephanie. Stephanie, this is my stepmom, Dana.”

Dana was very pretty, Stephanie noticed. Dyed blonde hair and giant pearl earrings made her look very made up, even if, as far as Stephanie could see, she wasn’t wearing much makeup. To her surprise, Stephanie was enveloped in a hug.

“It’s so nice to meet you Stephanie! Tim’s always so secretive about his love life, it’s nice for him to bring a girl home again.”

Tim wheezed, and Stephanie tried awfully hard to not read too much into that statement. She cautiously broke away, and reiterated Dana’s greeting.

“Nice to meet you too Mrs Drake.”

Dana coughed again, “Oh God. Dana. Dana is good. Is Stephanie okay? Steph?”

Stephanie could feel Tim squeezing her fingers happily, practically sensing him beaming beside her. She still felt like rubbing her hands on her butt to get rid of the nervous sweat, but she held stiff.

“Steph is good.”

Dana turned away, returning the boiling stove.

“You kids chill for a bit. There’re some drinks in the fridge, Tim. It’ll still be half an hour.”

Tim went and pulled out two cans and grabbed two glasses. He looked back to Stephanie, who was trying not to giggle nervously. Hovering near the fridge, he asked, “You want ice?” totally oblivious to her mood.

That made a snort burst out. It was like being in a restaurant…

“No, Tim. Thank you. I don’t need a glass either if…”

Too late, Tim had poured it out. She smiled tightly and took it from his hand.

Their sofa was hard, like it had never been sat on. Stephanie perched on the very end, as if sitting on it properly would damage it in some way. Tim saw this, and finally clicked regarding her discomfort. He slapped down his drink, the liquid sloshing. He then paradoxically set Stephanie’s drink down much more carefully, taking it from her with delicate fingers. He stared at her, mouth in a straight line. Unsure what to do she chewed her lip and looked back at him, eyebrows drawn up into a befuddled and anxious frown. Why did he look disappointed?

Tim broke character then. He grabbed her tight and pulled her backwards, ensuring that she fell on top of him on the couch. Squealing, she kicked her legs, as Tim laughed.

“It’s just dinner,” he whispered. Brushing her bangs off her face, he pecked her nose. “Don’t worry.”

Stephanie flopped down to rest on his chest. Listening to his heartbeat, silence settled. Her eyes flickered around the home, still off put by its neatness and niceness. The domesticity of it all was both intriguing and saddening. 

“Where’s your dad?”

“In his room still. Probably.” Tim leaned back, neck arching off the sofa as he yelled across the apartment. “Dad? Come say hi!”

Stephanie wasn’t sure what to make of the no response, nor was she sure what to make of the muttering she faintly heard coming from the kitchen. Tim huffed, and she could feel the disappointment radiating off him. Stephanie shifted upwards and decided to change the subject.

“You don’t look half bad either, handsome.”

Tim seemed to appreciate the shift and smiled crookedly. “Yeah? Dana insisted on taking me out clothes shopping the other day. Said my band shirts weren’t suitable.”

“Stepmoms are right. Occasionally.”

“Occasionally,” Tim laughed.

Stephanie’s cheeks warmed, and she looked upwards at the photos on the walls. There, right in front of her, was a photo of toddler Tim. What a chubby cutie. She had no such photos up around the house. Her mom kept them all hidden from her father. 

Expression twisting, she said, “Your house is really nice Tim.”

“Thanks. You should have seen the other place. You would have had a fit.”

“Probably! I might have thought my dad was right for being jealous of you—”

“Is this her then?”

Tim shot upwards, forcing Stephanie off him. If it had been her own mother, she would have just laughed off the awkward cuddling her and Tim had been caught indulging in. However, seeing Tim’s relaxed body language jolt out of him for forced cheeriness and formality, Stephanie felt the lump in her stomach return. She looked to him for help, to snap the tension that had entered the room.

“Dad, yes,” Tim stumbled over his words. “Dad, this is Stephanie. Stephanie, this is my dad. Obviously.”

Stephanie clambered off the sofa awkwardly, patting the skirt of her dress down once more.

Tim looked a little like his father, she could see it. Same hairline, same eyes. The rest, Stephanie decided after only seeing one picture, was entirely Janet. Jack looked sick, she thought. Sallow skin and a five o’clock shadow. He was dressed nicely though, so some effort had been made.

She understood he was depressed. Stephanie would be depressed too if she had lost her life’s work in one bad investment. It made her glad she didn’t have any money to invest to begin with. She put on her bright smile, one that usually worked on the adults around her.

“Steph is fine too! Hi, Mr. Drake.”

Awkwardly, her hand twitched, fully expecting someone as upper middle class as Jack Drake to want to shake her hand. He did no such thing, only looked her up and down, smiled politely (fakely) then said,

“Nice to meet you, Stephanie.”

He didn’t look like it was nice to meet her. He looked like would much rather be in bed avoiding this whole event. Still, he was nothing but polite, and made a show of sitting down on the sofa next to Tim. With nowhere else to sit, she occupied the armchair, separated from Tim. 

Tim, bless his cotton socks, did not notice the move. Instead, he looked straight at his father, and asked,

“Are you feeling better?”

“Not really,” and then the conversation moved forward. Stephanie sat and listened and said nothing. Jack complained. He complained a lot. And not once did he ask about Tim, or the stranger sat in his chair opposite. Not once did he offer to help Dana in the kitchen.

Speaking of, eventually Dana called them through. It was a small circular table, no longer could the Drake’s entertain and schmooze as they used to, but it served its purpose now. Sat either side of Stephanie were Dana and Jack. Tim was opposite, and Stephanie overly focused on his eating habits. The way he chewed with his mouth open, the way he took far too big bites and didn’t seem to understand what a knife was for. The way he rested his elbows on the table and shuffled around a lot. It made her a little more comfortable in her own lacking table manners. Tim obviously didn’t care for that sort of stuff. Teenage boys typically didn’t, right? Even rich ones?

Jack complained some more when they sat down. Apparently, it was too cold in the apartment. Tim jumped up to raise the heating, only for Jack to snap and complain that they couldn’t afford it. Dana scoffed and told Tim to turn up the heating. Smiling at Stephanie, Dana then said,

“You must be chilly in that dress.”

She wasn’t, and she did not want to cause a fuss. “I’m okay,” Stephanie muttered. Tim blinked, saw that she was being nice, and continued on his path to make the apartment a little warmer to spite his father.

Dana then took control over the conversation as Tim returned to his seat. Jack grumbled about money, but Dana ignored him. It seemed she was not willing to indulge her husband. Instead she rotated in her seat to look at their guest. 

“I guess we better start the interrogation then, huh Stephanie?”

Stephanie coughed on her drink. There was uncomfortable silence as she hacked out the liquid in her lungs. Tim looked ready to slap her back to help. Dana continued to smile politely. Jack pushed at his green beans, uninterested.

“I’m an open book,” she wheezed.

“Tim hasn’t told us anything about you,” Jack finally spoke, looking grumpily at his son. “Almost like you came out nowhere from how little he tells us.”

Stephanie continued to splutter, so Tim swooped in and saved Stephanie. “We went to Gotham Heights before Brentwood, dad. I just got back in contact with her. She’s a grade above me.”

“Hmm.” Jack finally looked at Stephanie again. “You live on the mainland too?”

Stephanie nodded, getting her breath back slowly. “South Holden Street? In Widow Creek?”

Both Jack and Dana made a face. 

“No worse than where Ariana was,” instinctively Tim defended her from Jack's furrowed expression, whilst simultaneously putting his foot in it by bringing up an ex in front of the current girlfriend. Stephanie didn’t mind, as she saw the intention. She smiled shyly at him.

“So, what do your parents do then, Steph?” Dana asked, delicately eating a bite size cut of chicken.

Stephanie pressed her hands down between her legs. They were shaking, and she didn’t want them to notice. The knife and fork made a loud clang on the china as she dropped them, enough to make her wince in an apology.

“My mom is a nurse, up at West Mercy.”

Dana perked up even more, “Oh! Another medical professional. What’s her name?”

“Crystal. Crystal Brown…do you know her?” Stephanie felt Tim press his toes against hers in what she assumed was a reassuring pressure.

“No. No. I just like to pretend I know all the doctors and nurses across the county.”

“She mostly works in the ER, I think.”

Dana raised her eyebrows as she chewed in acknowledgment.

“And your father?” Jack asked, sawing with his knife and fork a little too aggressively.

Tim’s chest puffed up as he inhaled sharply. Stephanie watched him swallow loudly, seeing his Adam's apple bob dramatically in his neck. Trying to keep the tone light, he joked, 

“Wow, you weren’t kidding about an interrogation huh?”

Jack frowned at his son, “What? Is it a difficult question?”

Tim shook his head, trying to discourage this topic from going any further, “No, it’s just—”

Stephanie put Tim out of his misery.

“He’s in jail.”

Despite Tim putting up the heating, it felt to Stephanie like the temperature had plummeted. Jack looked at her again, begrudgingly respectful at her honesty.

“What for?”

“A lot.” Stephanie jutted her chin out, trying to look steady, even if her insides felt like they were about to be vomited out on the table. “He’s not a nice man.”

Jack shot Tim a look, who glared back at his father. Dana set down her cutlery, then placed a warm hand on Stephanie’s arm. Goosebumps ran through her.

“I’m sorry, Stephanie.”

“Yeah. Well,” shaking her arms in an exaggerated flapping motion, Stephanie resumed eating. “It’s whatever. What else do you wanna know?”

Jack chewed his lip, inspecting the teenager. “You want to mention the baby now or wait until you’re five months into whatever this is?”

Stephanie proceded to choke on a chunk of potato. 

“Dad!” Tim yelled, throwing down his glass with an exaggerated smack, liquid spilling across the nice tablecloth. It was one of the few times Stephanie had ever seen him truly angry. It had been happening more in recent weeks, and she silently noted the instances were largely due to her. She didn’t know how to take that revelation.

“You never mentioned her, Tim! Not once. And suddenly she’s good enough to bring over? I did some research, that’s all.”

Tim was turning red again, this time in anger. Sneering, he retorted, “’Cause you’ve had so much time in recent weeks just sitting in bed huh? Dad, this is crazy.”

“Watch it Tim.” Jack glanced sideways at Stephanie, who pressed her lips together to avoid grimacing. “And I was curious if she’s more of an honest person than my son. Which honestly is nothing more than a low bar to begin with.”

“Am I not allowed privacy?” Tim spoke as if this was an old argument, with that line in particular pulled out once a week.

Dana looked back and forth between the arguing boys, trying to put the pieces together. Stephanie stared at her half-eaten plate of food. Two things her mother had suggested not to talk about. Just two things. Less than ten minutes into the meal and poof! Smiling and eating the food suddenly seemed a herculean task.

“Maybe I really, really, _really_ like her, dad. And I wanted you and Dana to meet her? Why is that so hard to believe?”

Oh, Tim was wound up. Really wound up. She appreciated it, his defensiveness. She could bite back herself, but that really would wreck everything. A ruined father son relationship she was certainly not worth. Still, from the sounds of it, this was an ongoing debate which this time happened to feature a Stephanie Brown amongst the topics of debate.

“I wouldn’t know that you really liked her Tim,” Jack gestured sarcastically. “You never mentioned her name until last week.”

Dana tried to interject but was ignored. She looked to Stephanie, and in what was probably an overly familiar gesture, took her hand and squeezed it. Stephanie appreciated it all the same. 

Tim and Jack continued to snip back and forth. As the argument went on, Stephanie realised that Jack’s anger had nothing to do with her. If anything, Stephanie could have been nothing more than a friend, a classmate. She could have been the great love of his life, his soulmate. It wouldn’t have mattered. The problem was not Stephanie, it was the fact that Tim had not been forthcoming about her.

Stephanie looked on in empathy. So, the issue was Tim’s lies. It wasn’t just her that had felt locked out of fully knowing him. Of course, Tim lied to his father like Stephanie lied to her mother. Well, not quite. Crystal knew she dressed up and snuck out from time to time. She’d known she’d been in a relationship with Robin… who was Alvin…

_Shoot._ Her mom hadn’t put two and two together, had she?

Stephanie drifted away from the argument in front her, suddenly worrying over how much or how little her mother knew about Tim. She wasn’t sure if she trusted her mother. Crystal was exceptionally good at turning a blind eye for sure, but what if...

“Okay!” yelled Jack, making everyone jolt at the table. Stephanie snapped back to the present to see Tim gnawing his teeth. Jack aggressively ate a hunk of chicken, chewing as he spoke, “Enough arguing. Eat your dinner, Tim.”

Tim did the thing where his cheeks puffed out when he was angry, but it was all exhaled sharply and he looked back to Stephanie. Instantly he was ashamed. If he were going to say anything, if Stephanie was going to smile reassuringly, they couldn’t, as Jack spoke again. 

“Stephanie, I apologise. What a first impression you must have.”

Stephanie couldn’t help herself; she raised her eyebrows in sardonic disbelief. A brief stare off ensued, two very stubborn people watching the other to see who would crack first. To spare Tim from an awful evening, Stephanie decided to throw the Drakes a bone. Running her tongue along her teeth and chewing on the inside of her cheek, she shrugged.

“I’ve seen worse,” Stephanie said bluntly. “One time when my mom and dad were arguing, my mom threw an iron at his head. It broke a window.”

Tim's sharp bark of disbelieving laughter broke the tension. Despite everything, with the blunt tone Stephanie had taken at his father's antics, Tim saw the humour in the situation. Stephanie’s eyes snapped back to Tim. She snorted with him, giggling to show her happy mood, even if it was in a delicate state. It was her turn to nudge his foot. It was okay. She was okay. He was okay.

Okay… So long as Jack allowed the moment to pass, and not drag it out in order to prove he was in the right. Silently thanking God, the table watched as Jack raised a single eyebrow and said nothing. Stephanie knew her retort was a little inappropriate, but when she caught his gaze, the look in her eye dared him to say anything. He must have known his behaviour was shameful.

Jack bit his tongue and returned to his meal. He said very little for the rest of the evening, and with that, Stephanie finally relaxed. This man was not worth the effort of impressing. She would be herself, and that was that.

Grateful that a total meltdown had been avoided, Dana returned to safer topics. They spoke about Tim’s skateboarding and Stephanie’s cycling and roller skating. They spoke of her gymnastic medals. They spoke of her good (though not outstanding) grades, and how she was studying from home ever since the quake. The baby and father hung over her, but she neither avoided the topic nor dragged it out. If they asked her, she would answer honestly, she told herself. If they didn’t like it…well. Batman couldn’t stop her and Tim from meeting up. What damage could a man do who couldn’t be bothered to get out of bed most days?

Dana, she liked. Dana gave her permission to visit whenever she pleased. Stephanie had never had free run of a friend's house before, and her face grew warm at the effort Dana was putting in for her. Jack did not fight this, so somewhere in the back of his mind he must have known she was a decent kid. Or maybe the angry debate was to be continued later. Either way, for now, Stephanie was in the clear. 

They moved through to the living room for a while, but not before Stephanie insisted on helping Dana wash up. That was another tick in her favour. When the girls returned, they found father and son moping on opposite chairs. Jack turned on the TV, and Tim immediately got up, dragging Steph through to his room. Stephanie didn't mind too much. Especially when Tim made her sit on his bed. Especially when they kissed and embraced. 

She was cuddling _Tim_ on _his_ bed. Made the awkward dinner totally worth it. They didn't talk about the meal or Tim's father. Stephanie knew where a topic was to be avoided, and that was something for Tim to bring up, not her. Instead, she eventually picked up Tim's other photo albums, and Tim talked about the memories they held.

After nearly two years, she felt she knew Tim wholly. As she suspected, there was nothing not worth loving.

Dana was true to her word, and gave Stephanie a lift home, Tim accompanying them. It was likely Jack would have returned to his cave the moment the three left the apartment.

Stephanie knew Dana was watching the pair on Stephanie’s doorstep, but she had reached a decided fuck it stage of the evening, and gave Tim a soft kiss.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered, reluctant to leave the night on a sour note.

“No family is perfect,” Stephanie murmured back. “I’m sorry things are tense with your dad.”

Tim’s shaking hands took her own. “He doesn’t dislike you. And he’s not judgy enough to condemn someone for their father. He’s just—”

“He thinks you’re hiding something. Feels like he doesn’t know his son.” Stephanie smiled sardonically. “ _Oh, what if he’s fallen in with the wrong crowd_. Am I right?”

“Well,” Tim looked back at Dana waiting, then kissed Stephanie again. “The more you come over, the more he’ll get used to it.”

“Sure. Promise Robin'll come by in a bit?”

“Got some tension that needs... expounding?”

“Big word. If you’re asking if I could go for a punching match right about now, the answer is yes.”

“I’ll pick you up before one.”

One more kiss, then she unlocked the door and stepped inside. “Night Tim.”

“Night Steph. And I am sorry.”

“Don’t be,” she chuckled. “No-one said meeting in-laws was easy!”

She shut the door with a definitive slam, laughing at Tim’s surprised look as she did so.

“ _In-laws_?!” he croaked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finished in part three...


	3. Janet

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie makes a long overdue visit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Time Frame: Set before somewhere within Batgirl #1 and Red Robin #1-4. Enjoy!

Stephanie had felt very stupid over the past few weeks. Gotham nearly imploded (again); Tim wouldn’t speak to her; Cass had left Gotham; Bruce was dead; Dick wanted nothing to do with her and she hadn’t even had the joy of meeting Damian yet. She may have been running around in Cassandra’s old Batgirl suit without Barbara’s knowledge.

Somehow many of those above things felt like her fault, Tim more than anything. So here she was, doing something else which also felt monumentally stupid.

“Hi...Mrs Drake. Janet. Uh. I thought someone should let you know… uh. Tim left Gotham. Just for a bit. I think.”

She was staring at Janet Drake’s tombstone, probably a little too close. Maybe Stephanie was standing directly over Janet's stomach six feet up. It was neatly maintained, but the flowers that were sitting at the base of the headstone had grown dry.

“I brought replacement flowers,” Stephanie continued to speak to the air. “I don’t know which ones are your favourite, but I thought roses would be safe. Tim probably spoke to you before he left, otherwise he deserves a foot up the butt. But still, thought you’d want to hear from a third party. An objective observer.”

Stephanie set the flowers down. It was dusk in Gotham, the orange burnt sky fading to black. It was also windy, but the kind of wind that brought relief to the humid summer nights of Gotham. It was probably going to be stormy tomorrow. 

Stephanie gripped her elbows in a shallow attempt of self-comfort. There was no-one around, but she still felt shy speaking out loud. 

“I’m sorry it’s taken so long for me to say hi. I probably should have visited like three years ago but I just - well, to be blunt - I just never thought about it after Tim’s first offer. And now I might as well be a stranger. Oh God, I would have been a stranger to you no matter what; it’s just if me and Tim were still an item then… _Crap_.”

She aggressively rubbed at her eyeballs in frustration.

“I’m sorry I’ve not been very good to him. I tried. And I think I listened and trusted the wrong people. And now he’s off looking for Bruce which kills me because I really think he’s gone for real but I know Tim still really misses you and Jack and,” deep inhale, “I don’t like to see him sad and in denial and it’s partly my fault so I’m speaking to a dead woman to ask forgiveness and _what_ the _hell_ am I _doing_?”

Stephanie let out a shriek. Abrupt, shrill, piercing, uncomfortable and cathartic. Her neck craned back to watch the sky. She could see Venus shining brightly, the first star of the evening. Inhaling deeply and unsteadily, she held her breath for ten seconds like Leslie told her to do when struggling to get a lid on her emotions. When she exhaled, she lowered her chin. She no longer felt worked up, but she did feel sad. 

Her time with Tim had ended terribly. Dick had been right to ask her to check up on Tim. Stephanie supposed Dick thought she might have been able to break through where Wondergirl and he had failed. She failed alongside them, because there was no warmth in the way Tim looked at her anymore. Longing, certainly. Regret, oh yes. Love? Yes? Maybe.

He wouldn't look at her anymore without that damn cowl on. She didn't know if his eyes lit up when she entered the room now. They probably just filled with dread.

Stephanie wasn’t quite sure what motivated her to come out here. A lingering sense of guilt? Of desperation? Was she seriously hunting for approval from dead people now too? Way to slip down the drain, Steph. 

“Sorry. You must think I’m crazy. A girl says to the dead woman.” Sniffing, Stephanie’s eyes grew damp. “I’m worried about him. So worried. I hope you and Jack are looking out for him. Please. I want him to come home. So I can yell at him for making me worried.”

Slowly, she got down on her knees. The grass was dry, parched, and would stain her jeans. She fell forward, head slamming against the dark headstone.

“I loved your son. A lot. I still do. And I know he’s the same. Please make sure he comes home safe. I’ll do better in this city, then he can meet me in the middle. Get through this hell of a year. I hope… I hoped you would have liked me. If you met me. I’m sorry if that’s selfish. I don’t think Jack ever did. I think he saw how unstable things were. Or am I giving him too much credit?”

Stephanie’s breathing wobbled and she felt tears drip down onto the ground. She continued to speak, but it was difficult.

“I think about weird things now. Like would you and my mom have got along? She’s smart. She’s good at her job. She’s hard working. She was a drug addict. She’s incurious. She wasn’t around much. Would you have that in common? Would you have been proud of Tim? Jack was. Would you think we made a good match? Jack didn’t. It doesn’t matter. ‘Cause you’re gone. You’ve been gone before I was ever involved but I catch myself thinking about ‘what ifs’ more and more. I think that’s Tim rubbing off on me. But what does it matter? Even if you hadn’t approved, I would have kept barrelling forward. Tumbling and falling. Because I love Tim, still, even though it would be better if I didn’t. Because I love going out at night and proving my father wrong, even if everyone keeps telling me it would be better if I didn’t. He’s dead too. My dad. I think. You probably won’t know him. Unless you were secretly evil this whole time and went down instead of up or… _Crap_. I’m sorry.”

She fell back onto her calves and forced a smile, trying to find the humour in the situation. Her cheeks were wet, inexplicably she was still crying. That crazy girl smiling and crying over a stranger’s grave. Talking to her AWOL ex’s mom’s grave. Totally reasonable. 

Stephanie didn’t have a lot of people she could talk to who would understand what she was going through. She would take any chance she could take. Especially one as non-judgemental as a dead woman.

“Can I come back? To check how you and Jack are doing? And Dana. Dana was nice. Really nice. A mother hen. I’ll come back to look after the three of you until Tim comes home. If he doesn’t want me to visit anymore that’s fine, so long as he’s in Gotham to do it himself. He can’t just run away from his responsibilities. Flighty boys… Does that sound like a fair deal? You just need to put up with me for a few months. I’ll keep everything neat and tidy if you let me talk your ear off. Just until Tim comes home...Deal?” 

There was no reply, obviously there wouldn’t be. But the silence was not oppressive, instead it was somehow uplifting. It was a small thing to look after the graves, but it was something she was certain she could do well. And if she had her way, Tim would never know. He’d just tease her for being silly and sentimental. Like he was one to talk. Laughing through the tears, Stephanie snorted like the pig Tim said she sometimes sounded like.

There was a rustling in the trees behind her, loud and distinctive enough to make Stephanie jump. When she turned, a robin bird flew down, bounced for a moment, then took off. She looked back into the trees, but there was nothing else worth noting, though the feeling like she had just been caught with her pants down remained. 

For all she knew the bird was Janet telling her to get a move on. Maybe it was something else. Maybe it was just a bird in a tree. A robin. Because of course it was a robin. She laughed again, her eyes finally dry, and whipped her head back around to nod at the grave. 

“Deal!”

She concluded that it was probably time to wrap up her visit. Brushing at her eyes, she hopped up and swept the loose grass off her shins and knees.

“Nice to meet you Janet. Officially. I’ll see you next week, maybe?” 

Straightening up, she picked up her backpack. Time to go get changed. She’d heard there was some joy riding racing event going on downtown with some local gangs. She needed to catch it and see if she could break it up. Jogging back down onto the path, intending to get on her bike parked by the main gate, Stephanie called out a goodbye to Jack too, and sprinted out of the cemetery, ready for the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I propose the concept that Janet wasn't that bad of a mum actually _fight me_. Or, at the very least, was better at being a mum then Jack was at being a dad. Regardless, I hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> As always I'm on [tumblr](incoherentbabblings.tumblr.com) if you would like to chat or throw plot bunnies at my head.


End file.
